Plumb or level.



n. w. L. FRANK.

v. PLUMB 0R LEVEL. APPLICATION FILEDMMLZS, I915.

1,1 90,229. Patented July 4, 1916.

A TTOR/VEYS UNITED s'rrus DANIEL W. L. FRANK, OF CHICAGO. ILLIlN'OIS, ASSIGNCR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO GEORGE 1VL ENGELS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

PLUMB OR LEVEL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 25, 1915. Serial No. 16,942. i

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DANIEL W. L. FRANK, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Plumbs or Levels, of which the following is a specification. I

My invention relates to improvements in levels, plumbs, and grade finders, and it consists in the combinations, constructions, and arrangements herein described and claimed.

An object of my invention is to provide a plumb or level having units, each unit comprising a dust proof casing which incloses the spirit tube or tubes, said unit being capable of being expanded or contracted to fit level stock of various thicknesses. v

A further object of my invention is to provide a device of the type described in which a portion of the casing is composed of plain or magnifying glasses which serve the double purpose of keeping ofi' the dust and also of enabling the user to read the level with ease.

A further object of my invention is to provide a device of the type described in which the adjustment of the spirit tube or tubes may be made very readily without the necessity of resorting to complicated mechanism. This results in the provision of a device which can be manufactured very cheaply.

A further object of my invention is to provide a dust proof casing for the spirit tube or tubes which can be easily assembled or taken apart.

A further object of my invention is to provide a unit which is complete in itself and which may be applied to any straight edge so as to make of the latter-a level or plumb, the only thing necessary to do being to bore a hole in the straight edge and attach the unit to it.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specification, and the novel features of the invention will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings forming partof this application in which Figure 1 is a side view of a level constructed according to my invention; Fig. 2 is a sectional view along the line 2-2 of be seen from Fig. 3,

Patented July 4:, 1916.

Fig.3; Fig. 3 is a sectional view along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3, but showing the device adjusted for a thicker level stock; Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing the parts of the unit in position for assembling; Fig. 6' is a modified form; and Fig. 7 is a plan viewof a portion of the device shown in Fig. 1.

Asstated above, I form a casing for the spirit tube or tubes, this casing comprising several parts. The body portion of the casing is shown at 1 and consists preferably of a metal tube of any suitable material such as brass, which is provided with openings 2 arranged to receive short lengths of pipes or sleeves 3 which extend inwardly from opposite sides of the tube, as clearly shown in the drawings. The opposite ends of the spirit tube l are carried in these sleeves 3. In order to hold them securely, I may use a resilient composition 5, such as that shown in Fig. 2, or any other suitable form of packing. i

The cylinder 1 which holds the spirit tube or tubes is threaded at its ends as shown at 1 and 1 and is preferably provided with set screws 6, whose heads are disposed on the interior of the cylinder as best shown in Fig. 3.

Arranged to engage the threaded ends of the cylinder 1 are collars or rims 7 and 8 respectively. These rims are threaded in the spirit tube or tubes may be observed.

These lenses are held in position by the rings 9, one face of the lens abutting the end of the cylinder 1.

From the foregoing description of the various parts of the device, the operation thereof may be readilyunderstood.

In Fig. 1 I have shown an embodiment of the invention, inwhich a frame 11 contains three units, these units being shown at A, B, and C. The unit A has a vertical spirit tube 4, the unit 13 a horizontal spirit tube andthe unit G two vertical tubes. As will one of the collars or rims ..such as that shown at 8 is provided and thus the rings may easily be manipulated. Before the Companion lens on the opposite side of the spirit tube is inserted, the collar 7 isadjusted in position, and the set screws 6 are tightened, thus holding the tube 1 firmly to the collars. The remaining lens and its retaining ring may then be secured in position as already described. I preferably form a recess in the body portion of the frame, so that the flanges 7 and 8 of the collars may lie flush with the outer surface of the frame.

Fig. 3 shows the unit in its normal position of use. It is obvious that one or more spirit tubes may be used. If, for any reason it is desirable to adjust the spirit tube, one of the rings 9 is removed, the adjacent lens is taken out, the screws 6 loosened, when the tube 1 may be rotated so as to bring the spirit tube to the desired position, when the screws may be tightened.

One important feature of my device is the fact that the units can be expanded or contracted to suit level stocks of different thicknesses. In Fig. 4: for instance, I have shown the unit as expanded. In order to do this, it is only necessary to change the relative positions of the collars 7 and 8 with respectto the tube 1, so that the collars, or rather, their outer flanges will come flush with the outer surface of the body portion 11, when the tube and one of the collars may be secured in position by means of the screws as before stated.

Another feature to which I also desire to call attention is the fact that these units may be used with straight edges of any kind to form levels or plumbs. All that is necessary is to bore a hole in the straight edge and then to insert the unit in the opening anda-ttach the same, after which the spirit tube may be adjusted in the manner already indicated.

A device constructed according to my invention has numerous advantages. It forms a dust-proof casing for the spirit tube. The tubes themselves may be easily adjusted without the necessity of providing com.- plicated apparatus. The units are self-contained; that is to say, there is no necessity of providing the level stock with additional apparatus to cooperate With the units in order to effect the adjustment of the tube, this adjustment being accomplished in the manner already described by loosening the has been stated before, lenses of varying thickness can be used.

In certain instances it is desirable to read a spirit tube from the top of the level. To this end, the frame 11 may be provided with a side opening covered by a small closure 20, and through which the lens 21. may be inserted. The tube 1 of the unit B is of course cut so' as to permit a view of the spirit tube, and an opening 22 is provided in the top of the frame to register with the cut so as to permit a good view of the spirit tube.

I am aware that other forms of the device based upon the same general plan might be made, but I consider as my own all such modifications as clearly fall within the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim 1. In a plumb or level, a support provided with a circular opening, a unit disposed within said circular opening, said unit comprising a central tube threaded at its ends, a threaded collar attached to said central tube at each end of the exterior of the tube, a lens at each end of said central tube, and means arranged to engage the collars for retaining said lenses in fixed position, said last-named means comprising rings threaded exteriorly to engage said threaded collars, said rings being rotatable so as to clamp said lenses againstthe ends of said central tube.

2. In a. plumb or level, a support provided with a circular opening, a unit disposed within said circular opening, said unit comprising a central tube threaded at its ends, a threaded collar attached to said central tube at each end of the exterior of the tube, a. lens at each end of said central tube, means arranged to engage the collars for retaining said lenses in fixed position, said last-named means comprising rings threaded exteriorly to engage said threaded collars, said rings being rotatable so as to clamp said lenses against the ends of said central tube, and means for securing said central tube to said collars for preventing rotation of the tube with respect to the collars.

3. In a plumb or level, a support provided with a circular opening, a unit disposed within said circular opening, said unit com prising a central tube threaded at its ends, a threaded collar attached to said central tube at each end of the exterior of the tube, a lens at each end of said central tube, means arranged to engage the collars for retaining said lenses in fixed position, said last-named spect to the collars, and means for securing means comprising rings threaded exteriorly one of said collars to said support.

to engage said threaded collars, said rings being rotatable so as to clamp said lenses DANIEL FRANK against the ends of said central tube, means Witnesses:

for securing said central tube to said collars FRED H. WERNER,

for preventing rotation of the tube With re- LEW E. FRANK.

copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the'commislioner of Patentn 7 Washington, D. G." 

